[Ultron]

Inspired upon Art's suggestion and the rising need for a truly general chat topic, I have decided to make this thread.

Yeah...I know! Let's start a Non-Ending Thread entitled, "Speak your mind" or "Random Thoughts" or "Evil Genius" or "Continued Madness" or "The Lies we are Told" or "Atlas! Take a load off!" or "Matter that Might Matter from our Gray Matter"    others?

It is meant for a general discussion regarding any topics you might run into during the day - starting from our recent conspiracy theories and eventually leading to why are tomatoes red. This topic is created as an alternative to creating a new thread every time you feel like starting a new discussion - which is totally OK and is in fact, encouraged.

Edit: in case you don't know where to begin, how about thinking about why you need to pay for a piece of land or virtual 3D space - does somebody really 'own' this? Isn't this OUR planet? And why would we have to choose somebody to 'rule' us - maybe I do not want anybody to rule this piece of land I am politically a part of...

[Data]

Interesting, ok how's this for a straight to the point answer.

People have to own things IMHO, it stops someone else coming along and taking it from you. 

[Ultron]

Was expecting this answer... But how did the 'government' originally come to 'own' this piece of land, in order to sell it to you?

Of course, it's a circle which leads us back to the very nature of 'territory' - for one to own it, he must conquer it. Tell me, how hard is it for one to loose his land?

[Art]

Don't even start with the why's and wherefore's of Taxes on land that was purchased and already taxed!

Don't talk about Taxing people who inherit money from their father or mother. Money that had already been taxed once!

Don't talk about Social Security income that is taxed as income. Money that you have saved all your life and now our government doles it out to you a little each month and has the temerity to call it an "Entitlement"!! How dare they!!

Don't talk about how our government knows and has decided how best for us to raise our children...basically, no discipline at all! Just let them join a nation of whiners and others who feel entitled!

Don't get me started on a lot of things....

[Data]

Make the most of our lives, here and now, while we have this short time on earth and don't let the buggers grind you down.

laugh in the face of the madness that surrounds us.

Try not to get locked up for it. 

[Ultron]

It is a frequent topic that comes to my mind - taxing. It is completely understandable - one man alone cannot build a road, infrastructure or space stations which take the joined funds of millions of people worldwide.

However it is only understandable to the extent of joining resources for a greater cause, something unachiavable by the lone man as I said before. But you cannot be taxed on something you own... taxed for something you posses and nobody else has the right to.

I apologize beforehand, Art, but I must continue on this... Land taxes, for example... NOBODY can own Earth and thus the land it holds. Throughout our lives we merely 'borrow' this land from mother nature in order to survive and feed ourselves off of it.

Specific taxes are understandable, but those such as the 'royalty tax' in my country (which one pays in cases when he owns more then one care, for example) are just pure insane. Also, recently a new law forced citizens to 'buy' something they had already owned - their homes. Specifically, we were forced to 'buy' the 3D space we live in - not the flat area on the ground, yet the volume it fills up in the air. Tell me this is not madness...

Sadly, people are easily brainwashed so, while honorable, any future attempts to rise in revolution against the global system and lies will fail - even if one man is not fooled by the array of pixels before his eyes, he would still gladly hand out his soul and become a paid traitor.

,,We create our own demons..."

[Ultron]

Data, what would you consider making the 'most' out of our lives? Do you not believe that there are infinite possibilities and thus an infinite amount of success to be potentially achieved in one's lifetime?


While we may not be smart enough to see and therefore engage in those many possibilities, but I believe that one day someone will - with our help. It is how evolution works, and it has come a long way, step by step... With every little idea and piece of knowledge we leave to future generations, and even the mistakes we make, we give them a slight boost towards the ultimate goal. So every contribution you make counts!


Every good and bad deed we do in life helps humanity evolve - either by teaching the kids what's good or what's bad (however logically the more efficient method would seem to be doing good deeds).


I hope I did not over-complicate this, but try and -see- between the lines...

[Data]

No I don't believe there is an "infinite" amount of success to be potentially achieved in ones lifetime.

I believe that everyone is good at something, maybe a number of things but "infinite" no, concentrate on what one is good at and see where that leads.

Like this guy. 

[Art]

If we become totally complacent then we will never have anything for the greater good...only a greater (bigger) Government!

A government OF the people, BY the people and FOR the people has become a standing joke.

It's almost to a state where the people are starting to fear their very government they helped elect.

Me? I'm happy to be able to look down upon the flowers instead of UP at them!!

[Ultron]

Data, I disagree... You never know if you could have made a better choice at a given point in your life... You can never say that your program for example, cannot be further improved... There is always another way and thus there must always be a better way.

You don't have to necessarily be 'good' or excel at something - think in terms of, how lucky can you get?

[ranch vermin]

People think your crazy if you give away too much,  so you have to own something.   But the opensource projects are the opposite of owning things, they are providing free knowledge.    Im cut in 2 with the situation,  but I think ill eventually go opensource all my ideas,  because its the right thing to do,   and I can go give up my mansion in the carribean, because its just not right.   How fair is it, to hide an idea from people that is completely simple,  just other people havent worked it out.  Its like a plumber keeping one widget out of a tap so it eventually fails, so he can come back and fix it again for more dosh.

Its not right taking advantage of peoples ignorance,  and thats what ownership is?

[Ultron]

You can't pass on something important to future generations by selling your products... You must teach them the way to conceive their own ideas and in the end show them yours... You must use your work as a pointer for the kids, a path they should follow.


Open sourcing is about sharing knowledge and ideas, as well as letting others improve on them. It is only be working together that humanity can achieve the greatest things and reach the heights... It is also only by fighting together and helping others understand you, that we can rise above the evil that surrounds us today.

[Data]

Opensource has to be a good thing, likeminded talented (in their field) people getting together and improving something, then passing it on to the next generation, what is not to like.

If only everyone was as genuine as the people on this forum we wouldn't have to worry about ownership. Unfortunately, we all know there are people out there that have lesser morals then our good selves. 

Get someone to pat you on the back. 

[Ultron]

There are intelligent ways to put a personal 'stamp' on open-source projects - something like a watermark (not literally) however the point is not to take credit or earn money off of your project - in the end it is improving the worlds knowledge and experience in a given field of study and making an example for the beginners.

Sure, it is offensive when others take credit for your hard work - but open sourcing (at least to me) means giving... Giving to the people and in turn get rewarded with a richer soul. Not to mention that nobody can steal your knowledge or experience gained from your hard work and project.

Maybe a solution would be to consider open-source projects as ownerless - this way you may not get credit for your work however nobody else will be able to take credit for it as he would be in fact, considered a fraud. A worthy sacrifice if you ask me.

In fact, it all comes down to personal psychology - how we would perceive all these acts and what action would we take for / against them.

[Korrelan]

Open source has its place and its limits…

Ok… So let’s say you have spent 25 years researching neuroscience, investing decades of your free time and effort designing/ building a biologically based system that you can prove surpasses human performance in every way.  It can understand spoken language in any tongue or environment no matter how noisy without the use of phonemes or templates; it can understand any visual scene with super human like acuity.  When it sleeps you can watch it dream and when awake it displays consciousness and an understanding of the very qualia of existence.  We are talking a new form of intelligent life that can easily surpass man as the dominant force on this planet, the last great invention by man.

You have spent countless days and nights nurturing/ developing your system that you know could change humanity for ever; thousands of hours of your life you will never get back doggedly chasing this one dream… would you just make it open source and give it away… for some unscrupulous person to claim as their own?..  for anyone or organisation to use as they see fit?

Hmmmmm!… would you really?